Japanese Rescuers Aid Four Injured Climbers on Mt. Fuji After One Climber Falls to His Death

TOKYO (AP) -- A 63-year-old man fell to his death and four people were injured when they slipped while climbing Mt. Fuji, police said Monday.

Japan's tallest peak was covered with snow and buffeted by gusts when the accidents occurred Sunday.

The five climbers, who belonged to four different parties, slipped and fell about 400 feet from the 12,388-foot summit.

Rescuers who reached the site Monday reported that Toshiyuki Naoe, a 63-year-old Tokyo city employee, had died after falling about 300 feet, an officer at the Fuji Yoshida police station said on condition of anonymity.

Four other climbers were flown down by helicopter with injuries including a broken leg, the officer said.

Mt. Fuji is one of this country's most popular tourist attractions. Most of the 300,000 who scale the mountain every year go between July and September, before winter weather that can be risky for inexperienced climbers.